The article presents a systematic historiographical review of research on the development of the public education system in the Chuvash ASSR in the 1970s and 1980s. Introduction. The period of the 1970s and 1980s in the history of public education in the Chuvash ASSR is characterized by the completion of the transition to universal secondary education against the background of the growing systemic contradictions of the late Soviet era. The historiographical analysis of research on this topic is relevant for systematization of accumulated knowledge, assessment of the evolution of scientific approaches and identification of gaps. The purpose of the work is to periodize, thematically structure and critically evaluate the historiography devoted to the development of public education in Chuvashia in the 1970s and 1980s, with an emphasis on identifying the evolution of scientific approaches to this chronological period as an object of research. Materials and methods. The work is based on a comprehensive historiographical analysis. The corpus of historiographical sources consists of scientific monographs, dissertation studies and articles directly devoted to the development of public education in Chuvashia during the period under study. The source base of the historiographical research itself, which made it possible to verify the conclusions of its predecessors and assess the completeness of the picture, is formed by published and unpublished documents: legislative and regulatory acts of the USSR and the Chuvash ASSR, office records and statistical materials identified in the funds and archives of the Chuvash Republic, as well as periodical press data. Research results, discussion. As a result of the research, three stages of historiography are identified: Soviet (apologetic-descriptive), post-Soviet (critical-rethinking) and modern (complex-analytical). The key thematic areas are systematized: the implementation of Union-wide reforms in the region, language policy, the development of rural schools and the system of vocational education. The evolution of methodological approaches and assessments is shown ‒ from an ideologized statement of success to a critical analysis and, finally, to a balanced multifactorial study. The discussion made it possible to identify the main controversial issues, primarily around the consequences of national language policy. Conclusion. The conclusion is made about the progressive evolution of historiography from apologetics through critical deconstruction to modern complex analysis. The lacunae requiring further study are identified: the history of the school's daily routine, comparative interregional studies, the visual and material history of education, and the long-term consequences of educational policy in the 1970s and 1980s for Chuvashia.